Transmission mechanism for cameras



Dec. 31, 1940. H. BECKER ET AL mmsmssxou MECHANISM FOR CAMERAS Filed Dec. 15, 1938 "vo'ww I o 14 15 XXQQMQQMM 1m Patented Dec. 31, 194) v UNITED .STATES music I TRANSMISSION MECHANISM FOR CAMERAS Helmnt Becker and an. Fihinger, Wetllar, Germany; alligncrl, by meene assignments, to 4 Frank Dumnr, Lansanne, Switzerland 4 Application December 18, 1938, Serial No. 245,360 InGermany December 24, 1937 .4Claims.f(Cl.95-31).

This invention relates to improvements in' transmission mechanisms for motor driven cameras of the type disclosed in the pnding application Serlal Numbe'r 132,897 filed March 25 1937,

.5 which shows a roll 1131 camera having a focal plane shutter, the 7 camera mechanism being driven by a spring motor with a certain improved transmission mechanism between the camera and the motor. The object of the presl0 ent invention isto provide certain improvements for simplifying the transmission mechanism, reduce the number or parts and obtain a more free, easy and smooth operation which is more efllcient and results in material practical advantages as will appear hereinafter.

The invention and its vobjects will be better understood from the following specification read together with the accompanying drawing which illustrates a portion of the camera with its spring motor. and the improved transmission mechanism, parts being in section and parts being broken away. 9 Referring to the drawing the camera I is provided with a focal plane shutter of the type disclosed in U. S. Patent 2,122,671, July 5, 1938, and

which is well known in the art. The shutter includes two curtains which are wound upupon, a curtain roller indicated at 40. One burtain is indicated at 4|, the other curtain by the ribbon M 42 which is wound up upon the roller to close 'the shutter. The film 43 is placed upon a film supply rolLnot shown; and is wound up upon a film roller i3 by means of a film transport roller IS in the usual manner. The shutter roller-40 35 carries a, gear 44 which meshes with another gear 7 36 on a coupling member 45 slidably supported on the shaft of the film transport roller IS. The

. coupling member 48 carries pins I8 adapted to engage pins ll on the roller IS. A7 spring 41 40 keepsthe parts in normal coupling engagement.

The coupling/member'has an annular groove 2!.

The parts ll-M are uncoupled,.that is theshut ter is released by operation of the shutter release The spring motoris indicated by two 8! its drums 3 and 48 having the usual springs 42. The drum 3 carries a cam 5 adapted to engage a roller 32 on a vertically slidable arm-l which has a hook I 34 in engagement with the annular groove II. J 50 The film transport roller llcarries a gear I! which engages a gear N. The latter in turn meshes with a gear i2 on the film roller II... The latter is rotated by a shaft i0 provided with a pin III for driving engagement with a lower clutched to an upper clutch member "by means of a friction disk clutch 0 which. includes several disks as shown .The clutch member 20 has a gear 5| which is driven from a gear 0 on the spring motor. The clutch 20-2| is thrown in or out by a lever 25 which is pivoted at 22 and which is actuated by a cam 4 on the sp drum 3. The cam engages a roller 52 on the lever. The pivot 22 of the latter may be adjusted-by a screw 53. A spring 54 10 keeps the pivot inengagement with the screw as shown. The clutch lever 25 supports a clutch plate 24. The clutch members 20 and 2| are separated by aspring "when the clutch is thrown out. The motor and transmission mechanism are 15 contained within a casing 2 suitablyattached to the cameraand a ball bearing it is interposed between the clutch plate 24 and the Tower clutch member 2|.

The operation is as follows: When the camera 2 is ready for an exposure; the springs in the motor are wound up as usual and the parts are in the hand the shutter release is depressed to un- 30 couple the members ll and IS. The curtain roller 40 is now free to rotate and the curtains are released and movedto the right in the drawing in the usual manner to makean exposure. After the exposure the fllm. roller I3 is rotated by'hand to actuate the dim transport roller l6 to'advance the film andto rewind the shutter, the coupling members ll and I! having been recoupled by the spring 41. There is nothing novel in this operation, but it is to be noted that the verticallever 40 I has been moved up and down together with the coupling member 4! without having any function duringv this operation. When it is desired to operate the camera b the spring motor-the latter is released as usual 48 and now the drum 3 commences to rotate in the direction of thearrow. The gear 6 of course immediately starts to rotate the gear if so that the clutch member 20 rotates idly, the disk clutch 9 not being thrown in at this time. However, as

' soon as the drum 3 starts'moving the cam 0 moves in over the roller 22 on the lever I to pull the latter down whereby to move the coupling .48. down together with the members It and release the shutter Immediately thereafter the cam 4 moves in under the roller 52 to raise the clutch lever 25 to throw in the disk clutch 9 and thereby couple the shaft II! to the upper clutch member 20. The film roller l3 now starts to rotate and through the gears II, If and IS the film transport roller It is rotated to advance the film, and through the coupling l1, l8 and the gears 36 and H the shutter is rewound, the coupling l1, [8 having been thrown in by thelspring 41 immediately after the exposure. 1

The parts are so designed that the drum 3 makesone complete revolution for each exposure and after each such revolution the motor is stopped by the usual means, not shown. If one desires to make a number of exposures, one after the other, then one simply does not stop the motor.

The means for releasing the motor may be of the type disclosed in the U. S. Patent No. 2,160,818, June 6, 1939, in which a movable pawl engages a cam on one of the spring drums. The pawl is moved aside to release the motor and is moved back into the path of the cam by a suitable spring. Such 'a mechanism is indicated diagrammatically in the drawing. The pawl 55 is normally held in the path of a stop or cam 66 on the drum 1 by a spring 61. By operating the handle 68 the pawl is moved aside and the motor released.

'The advantage of the invention follows fromthe construction in which only one clutch 9 is required tor the three operations of rewinding the film, advance the film and rewinding the shutter. The construction of the disk clutch 9 is or particular advantage and importance in that the lifting spring I! causes a separation Another advantage is that after the camera regulate the pressure between the disks. This is of importance for the reasons that without such fine regulation the spring motor may rotate so violently that the film may be torn.

The invention is not limited to spring motors but may be used with an electric motor. Again, it is within the scope of the invention to use the disk clutch for instance on the shaft of the film transport roller instead of in connection with the film roller. Other obvious uses and application of the invention are within the scope of the appended claims.

We claim:

1. In a roll film camera, a shutter, means forfreleasing the shutter, means for simultaneously advancing the film and rewinding the shutter, a motor, an arm for actuating the shutter releasing means, a cam on the motor vfor operating said arm, a t v ,atively connected to said advancing and rewinding means and interposed between the latter and said motor, a disk clutch therein, a pivotally supported lever for operating said disk clutch to periodically operatively connect the motor to the said film advancing and rewinding means to operate the same and rewind the shutter, a cam on the motor for actuating said lever subsequent to the actuation of the said arm and a spring for disconnecting the motor and causing separation of the disks in the disk clutch.

2. In a roll film camera, a shutter, means ior releasing the shutter, means for simultaneously advancing the film and rewinding the shutter, a motor, means actuated by the motor for operating the shutter releasing means, a trans mission device operatively connected to said advancing and rewinding means and interposed be- .tween the latter and said motor, a disk clutch therein, means actuated by the motor for operating said disk clutch subsequent to the operation of the shutter release to periodically operatively connect the motor to the said advancing and rewinding meansto operate the same, means in said transmission device to disconnect the said motor and means for varying the pressure or the disks in the disk clutch.

3. In a roll film camera, a shutter, means for releasing the shutter, means for simultaneously advancing the film and rewinding the shutter. a motor, an arm for actuating the shutter releasing means, a cam in the motor for operating said am, a, transmission device operatively connected to said advancing and rewinding means and interposed between the latter and said motor, a disk clutch in said device, a

advancing the film and rewinding theshutter,

a motor, an arm for actuating the shutter releasing means, a cam in the motor for operatinghsaid arm, a transmission device operatively connected to said advancing and rewinding means and interposed between the latter and said motor, a disk clutch in said device, a pivotally supported lever Ior operating said clutch to periodically operatively connect the motor .to said advancing and rewinding means to operate the same, means on the motor for actuating said lever immediately subsequent to the operation or said arm, a spring in said trans mission device for disconnecting the motor and causing separation of the disks in said'dlsk clutch, a screw supporting said pivoted lever for adjusting theiulcrum thereof and a spring tor maintaining the fulcrum of said lever in its adjusted, position.

ERICK FILSINGER. 

